Prof: Election season makes it hard to like some Facebook friends

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — People dropping Facebook friends
over political differences is a reminder that some of those so-called
friendships are virtual, not the face-to-face type, says a Purdue University
communication professor.

"Facebook friendships are often diluted, because the
reality of managing dozens, hundreds or thousands of these friendships is just
not possible," says Glenn Sparks, who studies mass media effects and
interpersonal relationships. "That's why people are easily surprised when
some of their Facebook friends post or like different political candidates or
issues. It begs the question of how well do you really know these people. And,
it also explains why people can quickly dismiss these connections."

Sparks, who is co-author of "Refrigerator Rights: Our
Crucial Need for Close Connection," says the ease of dropping these social
media friends is a reminder that weaker social connections should not be a
replacement for face-to-face interactions.

"While Facebook is wonderful for keeping in touch
with people, there is a danger in these social media friends taking over and
consuming time from getting to know neighbors and people in the
community," Sparks says. "The friendships marked by regular
face-to-face contact typically matter more to one's overall sense of
well-being. Unlike virtual friendships, they are built on regular, casual
conversation in which voices are heard and faces are seen."

He also says that talking about something as sensitive as
politics on Facebook shows that social media is not necessarily a good
replacement for such exchanges.

"Political expressions are really expressions of
emotion because they are about how people feel about candidates, issues or
their future," Sparks says. "These are really deep feelings, and when
we express these feelings, text is an impoverished way to do that. Text is more
subject to misinterpretation, and we can't instantaneously monitor and react to
comments as if engaged in a face-to-face conversation. It easily leads to
misinterpretation, disagreement and attitude polarization - thus feeding
people's emotions to unfriend their friends."

The book "Refrigerator Rights" was published in
2002. Sparks and the book's co-author, Will Miller, say that as people move
farther away and are more engaged in media, there is a greater void in
face-to-face relationships.